Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | SEPTEMBER 8, 2025 17 FOCUS | Business Schools Continued on next page Jesse Bernal, who became Western Connecticut State University's new president in July, said the school's alternative credential programs are growing to meet workforce demands. HBJ Photo | Steve Laschever 'Urgent Need' CT colleges turn to certificate programs to boost enrollment, meet workforce demands Financial pressures The growth in demand for alterna- tive credentials comes as Connecti- cut's public higher education system grapples with financial pressures tied to longer-term declining enrollment and other factors. The Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system — which includes the four state univer- sities (Central, Eastern, Southern and Western), Charter Oak State College and CT State Community College — is projecting a $140 million deficit for fiscal 2026, with $1.28 billion in spending outpacing $1.14 billion in revenue. CSCU faces structural deficits, offi- cials said, due to the loss of one-time pandemic-relief funds, enrollment declines, reduced state support, and rising operating and facility costs. The four state universities combined enrolled 22,667 full- time students in the 2024-25 academic year, down 17.5% from a decade earlier WestConn's full-time student count was 3,621 at the end of last academic year, down 24.5% from a decade ago. However, there is a bit of good news. Enrollment at the four state universities has been creeping upward since 2023-24. WestConn's full-time enrollment rose 3.7% last year, and the school reported a 6.2% increase in first-year students this fall. Still, there needs to be a much greater focus on revenue diversifi- cation and reaching new students, Bernal and others said. Flexible pathways About half of WestConn students identify as minorities, with about a third being Hispanic or Latino. Bernal said the school, which is also contending with a deficit, is devel- oping targeted programs to serve these populations. The university has launched micro-credentials in cybersecurity and medical interpretation, with the latter specifically designed for Portu- guese medical terminology to serve the region's diverse healthcare needs. The program focuses on "health- care language and healthcare proficiency," said Stephen Hegedus, WestConn's provost and vice president of academic affairs, noting that Danbury Hospital's campus is located nearby. WestConn is also implementing accelerated degree pathways, including an accelerated program for undergraduate students working toward a bachelor's degree in busi- ness administration who plan to go on to earn an MBA. The program allows students to complete both degrees in five years instead of the By Andrew Larson alarson@hartfordbusiness.com C onnecticut's colleges are expanding certificate and other non-degree programs to reverse enrollment declines while meeting employer demands for skilled workers. The growth is being fueled, in part, by workers looking to "upskill" and stay competitive in a shifting job market. The pandemic accelerated the trend, with remote work and digital tools reshaping workplaces. Certif- icates, in particular, give workers a way to update existing skills or break into emerging fields — like artificial intelligence, data analytics and cybersecurity — without committing to a full degree. "The future of talent in this country is really dependent on whether we can upskill employees fast enough," said Jesse Bernal, who became Western Connecticut State Univer- sity's new president in July. "Nearly half of people in their jobs today are going to have skills disrupted in the next few years, so the urgent need for reskilling and lifelong learning is real." Bernal plans to offer more certificate and micro-certification programs at WestConn, targeting existing students who want to specialize in multiple subject matters, along with attracting new and part-time students, some of whom already have full-time jobs. Bernal brings extensive experience in workforce-aligned education from his previous role as vice president for strategy at Grand Valley State Univer- sity in Michigan. A first-generation college graduate from south Texas, Bernal earned his Ph.D. in education from UC Santa Barbara and has completed executive education at Harvard University and UC Berkeley. Nationally, undergraduate certifi- cate program enrollment continues to grow, jumping 4.8% in spring 2025, to a level 20% higher than in 2020, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. From 2019 to last fall, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found a 28.5% increase in enrollment in undergrad- uate certificate programs, vastly outpacing growth in traditional undergraduate enrollment. UNDERSTANDING ALTERNATIVE CREDENTIALS Colleges are offering more short-term programs beyond traditional degrees. Here's how they differ: Certificates: Credit-bearing programs requiring at least nine credit hours, often stackable toward a degree. Micro-credentials: Short, targeted offerings that may or may not carry credit and can often be finished in four to eight weeks. Badges: The lightest option, sometimes earned in a weekend work- shop, and often combined to build into larger credentials. Recognize completion of specific skills or training modules. Stephen Hegedus

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